AmjS"iM5.arm"}  'Ihe  Violet  Perfume.  355 
Ironc. 
HgC^  ^CH3 
C  CH 
/  x/w 
HC    HC  CH 
HC   HC  COCH3 
X  /.X 
H2C  CH3 
It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  constitutional  formula  for  Irone 
that  it  is  related  to  Irene  (-f  H20)  in  the  same  manner  as  Ionene  to 
Ionone.  Ionone  and  Irone  are  extraordinarily  alike,  and  can  only  be 
distinguished  by  much  practical  experience,  and  the  authors  believe 
that  there  is  a  great  similarity  in  the  constitution  of  these  two  com- 
pounds. It  is  probable  that  either  Irone,  Ionone,  or  some  optically 
active  isomeric  substance  is  present  in  the  violet  blossoms,  but  this 
has  not  yet  been  decided. 
Ionone  and  hone  are  both  without  injurious  effects  on  the  animal 
organism,  as  experiments  were  conducted  upon  some  dogs  by  Prof. 
Dr.  F.  v.  Mering,  and  the  author  himself  took  three  drops. 
Other  plants^  having  odors  resembling  the  Violet,  are  the  following  : 
(a)  Costusy  being  the  root  of  Aplotaxis  lappa,  Decaisne,  of  the 
N.  O.  Compositse.  It  grows  in  the  Northwestern  Himalayas,  at 
from  10,500  to  13,000  feet.  The  dried  root  yields  1  per  cent,  of  a 
light  yellow  volatile  oil  of  sp.  gr.  0,982,  and  rotatory  power  in  100 
mm.  tube  =+15°  29/.  It  begins  to  boil  at  275 0  C,  and  about 
half  passes  over  below  3 1 5 0  when  decomposition  takes  place 
(Schimmel). 
(b)  Carlina  gummifera,  Lesson,  being  the  "  White  Chameleon  " 
of  the  ancient  Greeks.  It  possesses  a  root,  said  to  be  as  thick  as  a 
man's  thigh,  and  to  develop  a  powerful  violet  odor  when  dry.  It  is 
identical  with  Acarna  gummifera,  Willd.;  Atractylis  gummifera, 
Linn.;  and  Cincus  carlinae  folio,  Gummifer  acanleatus,  Tourn. 
(c)  Myall  wood,  being  the  wood  of  Acacia  homalophylla,  whose 
habitat  is  Australia,  and  is  said  to  be  fragrant,  so  long  as  the  wood 
is  not  polished. 
1  Sawer,  in  "  Odographia.' 
